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The Steppe and Its Empires: The Russian Empire and Its Eurasian Counterparts
Audio Book
Central Asian HistoryEastern European History
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Publisher: Tantor
Published: May 5 2026
Language: English
A broad comparative study that highlights the importance of the Eurasian steppe and its impact on the arc of Russian history
Throughout its existence, Russia has been a hybrid empire shaped by both Europe and Asia. Focusing on the formation of the Russian state between the sixteenth and the mid-nineteenth centuries, renowned historian Michael Khodarkovsky examines Russia's structural similarities with its neighbors in Asia―the Ottoman, Persian, Mughal, and Chinese empires. While most historians have noted the transformations that brought Russia closer to modern European societies, the Russian empire's shared characteristics with its non-European counterparts remain poorly understood.
Khodarkovsky reveals the critical role of the Eurasian steppe in the formation of the empires, whose military-social institutions and political culture were distinctly different from those of the West. Ultimately, he argues that Russia is best understood as a hybrid Eurasian empire whose steppe origins and fluid frontiers propelled its relentless expansion, producing a vastly diverse society with a blurred sense of national identity.
2 different editions
Also available
The Steppe and Its Empires: The Russian Empire and Its Eurasian Counterparts
Khodarkovsky, Michael
Hardcover
The Steppe and Its Empires: The Russian Empire and Its Eurasian Counterparts
Khodarkovsky, Michael
Audio Book
Also from
Khodarkovsky, Michael
The Steppe and Its Empires: The Russian Empire and Its Eurasian Counterparts
Khodarkovsky, Michael
Hardcover
The Steppe and Its Empires: The Russian Empire and Its Eurasian Counterparts
Khodarkovsky, Michael
Audio Book
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